Buttes, Pockets, Hoodoos, and vistas (Feb 9--12, 2013)

[JFstego]

This trip report covers the time period of February 9--12 during which we visited Coyote Buttes North and South, Wahweap Hoodoos, Upper White Rocks, Alstrom Point, and the White Pocket. We were unfortunate to be there exactly during four days when a cold front was moving through and the weather was wacky, to say the least.


Day 1 started with a trip to the Wave. At Best Western, all Wave-goers impromptu met at the breakfast. One man was at the South Buttes the previous day and claimed that the upper part of the House Rock Valley Rock will be impassable today as it was snowing quite a bit. Being aware of horror stories of stuck Rubicon's at the washes filled with quick sand, I suggested the south route from Fredonia, Jacob Lake over the Kaibab Nat. Forest. There was simply no way I was giving up the permits. We lead three other cars carrying a young couple, two other men, and an airline pilot. On our way to Jacob Lake, the road conditions grew increasingly more worrisome. The visibility dropped quickly and the snow on the road was piling up quickly. Later, the passengers in the other cars told us that they would have turned back wasn't it for us keeping on going. Since the front was moving in from the south, I figured that the road conditions should improve once we cross the ridge almost at 8000ft at around Jacob Lake. In fact, I expected no snow at the Paria Plateau due to the "rain shade" the Kaibab Forest creates. This expectation turned out correct. Once we started descending, the weather cleared up and we could see the Plateau right in front of us. The sky was clear and there was no snow on the Hourse Rock Valley Raod. On we went to the Wire Pass. Knowing that our rental Wrangler had crappy tires, I advised the driver to not go faster than 25mph. But it is just too tempting to step on the gas pedal as the HRVR looks straight annd safe. About 15 miles into the road, we heard "clink" and a flat tire control went on. My fears were now reality. Normally, this would be a 15 minute delay, but this time, one of the screws that holds the wheel just would not budge. Soon, we damaged it beyond any hope. There we were with a flat tire that we could not exchange. After this accident, we carry a fix-a-flat can, but we did not have one then. One guy suggested that he could chisel away the bolt if we had the tools. The airline pilot suggested that he drives back to the south end of the HRVR where it meets 89A and borrow some tools. He drove there and back like a maniac at 50mph in a Ford Edge without any problems. I just do not get why the rental car companies put such CRAPPY tires on their Jeeps, which are otherwise unbeatable off road. To cut the story short, we got the chisel and the hammer, the guy expertly chiseled away the mangled bolt, we exchanged the tire and continued to the Wave. It was a mad dash as it was getting late and the days are short in February. We all made it to the Wave safely.


It was incredibly windy at the Wave. In fact, I estimated the wind gusts at 60mph and sustained winds at 35-45mph. The wind in fact knocked me off my feet twice! The wind was mixed with sand, which caused some abrasion of my lips, the sand got into our eyes, food, backpacks, clothes, cameras, everywhere. People say that the Wave is shaped by the wind. Now I know what this means!


Despite the weather, we have had a great time and managed to take some great shots. We stayed in CBN until sunset and also visited the 2nd Wave, the Sand Cove, and Fatali's boneyard. We did not attempt to climb to the Top Rock given the conditions (snow and windy).








At the sunset, the 2nd Wave looked magnificent and the pictures turned out absolutely gorgeous. I know, not very original but then again, how many pictures can one take there? Then, we moved to the Wave, which was now free of the crowds, and I took several dozens of pictures in ambient light.











I kept on shooting until about 30 minutes after the sunset and then we quickly walked in almost darkness back to the car. We had our headlamps ready but did not need them. We were the last people at the Wire Pass. Good thing we had the GPS as it was too tempting to cross the ridge on the left too soon on our way back from the Wave.


The second day we drove to the White Pocket. We took the short route through the Paw Hole and Poverty Flats. It was snowing quite a bit and there was 2-3" of snow on the ground at times. I think it made the driving easier rather than more difficult. When we got to the WP, it was covered by snow and I almost cried. It looked like nothing I was expecting. All whites and grays. We parked and started walking around. The snow stopped and the sun started appearing. The snow started melting on the south-facing slopes and suddenly I realized that there was an opportunity to take some unique shots since the snow gave the rock a different texture and a wet sandstone has richer colors than dry sandstone. I started playing with the snow rather than fighting it and managed to get some interesting shots.



















We stayed until about 5:30pm and then drove back the same way. The steep sandy hill was not an issue at all. At Poverty Flats, however, we got into a full-blown blizzard, which pummeled us all the way on the HRVR, which we liked as the snow covered the little rocks on which we usually get a flat tire. We went south as we needed to return the chisel and hammer to the people who live on the south end. To our BIG surprise, the end of the HRVR was almost snowless and the road through Jackson Lake was dry! The blizzard was really limited to the CBS/CBN/WP area only as there was no snow in Kanab or Fredonia. This is because the circulation changed from South, South-west to North.


The third day, we got up a little earlier to get good shots of Wahweap hoodoos. We quickly made it to the north parking area and walked about a mile. Wow, it is MUCH shorter than going from the south. When we got there, however, I, once again, almost cried -- the hoodoos were in the shade. Apparently, to get good sunrise shots, one needs to go there when the sun is higher as it rises more to the north and creates the good light conditions. I did some shooting with the sharp shadows but overall this was far below my expectations.



On the way back, we stopped at the Upper White Rocks and the Colorful Canyon. The views were absolutely amazing! All pastel colors the God has created. We found our way into the canyon and took lots of pictures. A big surprise for me was that the Twisted Hoodoo is so small!










My companions persuaded me that we should end the day at the Alstrom Point. I was unsure if we can make it on time but estimated that we can make it indeed. I ended up being wrong as I had no idea how challenging the last few miles were! I have never driven over bigger rocks before (the road is rated 3 on the scale from 1 to 10 on technical difficulty). When we got to the point, we were late, barely catching the last sun rays. I will try to stitch a panorama but overall the pictures were not that great. On the way back, we drove in almost darkness (my friend was driving) and got "off the road", if it can be called a road at all up there, and I heard the skid plates of the Jeep saving the day twice.




The last, fourth day was the South Buttes. Getting three permits at 8am for the same day was not a problem (still 5 available). We started in the morning at the Paw Hole and then moved to Cottonwood Cove for the sunset. Again, only south-facing slopes could be photographed. We made it all the way to the Yellow Stripe and, what I call, the Wavelet Butte (my favorite butte at the Paw Hole). The Cottonwood Cove was in a better shape for good pictures. We parked next to a Subaru Forester (I guess, with the sand being so wet, you could get there even in a Camry! :) and started our hike. The best pictures were taken a half an hour before sunset.
















Overall, this trip was quite adventurous and we managed to get some unique shots in my opinion. Even the White Pocket turned out quite good given the conditions. I am glad, we gave it a shot and did not get discouraged by the ominous weather.


More pictures at: http://ws2.binghamton.edu/fridrich/album/

[DesertDuke]

great shots! I am jealous.

[tylerhirshfeld]

Nice! Beautiful pictures!